In the final episode of our Campfire Podcast for 2025, Managing Director Marc Newton sits down with gunmaker Olivier Leclercq to look back at 12 years of Rigby’s revival. 

Olivier and Marc take us back to the earliest days of Rigby at Pensbury Place, when the company was little more than a vision, a box of paperwork and a handful of determined people. He and Marc reflect on the events of December of 2013, when Marc and his mentor Patty Pugh were moving boxes into the workshop on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, wondering what on earth they had taken on - and hoping they were doing the right thing. 

Twelve years on, with Rigby firmly re-established as one of the world’s most respected gunmakers, Olivier shares stories from those early days in the workshop and the moments that shaped the company into what it is today.

He speaks about the camaraderie of the early team, the pride taken in every rifle that leaves the bench and the responsibility of being custodians of a historic brand with a future to protect. 

The conversation also explores the balance that defines Rigby: traditional tools and time-honoured methods, paired with an innovative, forward-looking ethos. From engineering and artistry to training the next generation, this is an honest and personal look at what it takes to build and sustain a legacy. 

Warm, reflective and fitting for the run-up to Christmas, this episode is a reminder that Rigby’s success today is rooted in shared belief, hard work and the people who have stood by the brand from day one.